Foreigners in Thailand

01/08/2013

The majority of expats in Thailand integrate quite well. There are understandably frustrations in living in a different culture. The lay back lifestyle is fine until you want an ambulance or some urgent repair work done. But generally long term retirees and others cope easily with the differences in the way of life. It is why they came to Thailand in the first place and they have found ways to “survive” here and deal with the odd frustration.

There is however a vociferous minority that you find on internet forums and in some expat clubs that can’t seem to fit in with the locals or the Thai way of living. These are also the people who will button hole you in tourist venues. At home, they’d walk pass you in the street. Here, they see a white face and they immediately introduce themselves. That’s perfectly normal of course. You tend to want to associate with your own kind. They speak the same language for one thing.

But their reason for doing so is that, although living here, they crave for Western conversation and contact and don’t make the effort to socialise, and therefore understand better, the Thai people.

This minority more often than not falls into 2 types; The Thai Apologists and the Thai Bashers. Those that see only the good side of Thailand and those that believe everything is bad about the country.

Like all minorities, they give the majority of expats who have adjusted to living here a bad name.